With the opening of Fed Up this weekend at movie theatres in 18 key cities across North America, the war on sugar has moved to the front lines.

Creating a buzz at Sundance, as it did in January, is one thing, and so is earning high marks at Hot Docs in Toronto, where the film had its Canadian premiere in April.

But getting ordinary moviegoers to buy tickets at the Varsity is a whole other challenge. Nobody knows that better than Tom Quinn, the co-president of Radius-TWC, which won a bidding battle with Netflix, securing world rights to distribute Fed Up. (According to industry reports, the price was more than $1.5 million.)

An even greater challenge is to translate the buzz caused by the movie into legislation to avert a catastrophic public health crisis by curtailing sugar levels in processed food. But Heather Reisman — one of the film’s executive producers, and the CEO of Indigo Books and Music — thinks there’s a better chance of winning government support for this cause in Canada than there is in the U.S.

Leading up to Fed Up’s theatrical debut, Quinn savoured a significant victory in a skirmish about the movie’s poster — which sums up its message with two M&M candies emblazoned with the capital letters F and U.

That seemed like a setback, because it is important for the poster to convey what the film is about, while also being provocative and demonstrating a sense of humour.

The MPAA’s decision seemed at first like a discouraging roadblock — but when Radius appealed, the industry enforcer quickly reversed its decision and approved the poster.

“I’ve never had more attention for any film I’ve ever worked on,” says Quinn, who has two decades of experience devoted to non-studio, special-interest films. “That’s because this is a compelling, issue-driven film that makes a cogent case and explains the epidemic in 90 minutes. When you watch it, you learn from it, and you feel a sense of outrage that stays with you.”

Narrated by Katie Couric, who is also on the team of executive producers, the movie makes a compelling case for nailing sugar as the prime cause of North America’s obesity crisis — and targets the processed food industry for creating this nightmare while employing the same methods the tobacco industry used for decades to protect its profits.

That may not sound like the sort of thing that shatters box-office records. But this week, where advance hoopla included high-profile invitational preview soirees at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Pacific Design Centre in Los Angeles, Quinn is feeling upbeat about the movie’s prospects.

Among those who spoke to the MoMA audience was former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who tried (but failed) to ban extra-big bottles of sugar-loaded soft drinks.

Prior to Fed Up’s Canadian kickoff at Hot Docs, Quinn flew to Toronto to attend a special screening for media VIPs at Reisman’s Rosedale home.

“The positive reaction we’ve received to Fed Up is just off the charts,” says Quinn. “I’m hoping that will translate into ordinary people going to watch this incredibly important movie on the big screen, where it has a huge impact.”

Drawing an audience without the benefit of a blockbuster marketing budget is a challenge, but Quinn has the knack of overcoming it. Twenty Feet From Stardom, which Radius also acquired at Sundance, pulled in close to $5 million at the box office, and went on to win the Oscar for best documentary feature of 2013.

Since films like this can’t afford massive ads in TV and print, they depend instead on word-of-mouth, reviews and social media. According to Quinn, the most important factor is choosing the right release date. In this case, May 9 was deemed to be perfect.

It remains to be seen whether Fed Up and the response to it can prod U.S. politicians to pass laws to curb the impending health crisis that excess sugar is leading to. But Reisman believes the chances of getting legislation to deal with the issue are better north of the border.

“In Canada we have a cherished system of public health to which everyone has access, and we have to address this problem,” she says. “Unless we do, our health system will be overwhelmed. We need to have transparency in labelling. This is not just about a movie. We want to turn it into a movement.”

According to Reisman, the links between the food industry and the political powers are not as formidable in this country as they are in the U.S.

As a demonstration of her own commitment, Reisman has made a change in the way gourmet candy is sold at Indigo. Those tempting treats are no longer displayed at the cash checkout. Instead they have been moved to a less conspicuous area: the gift department.

“It’s to cut down on impulse buying,” she says.

It’s also sure to cut down on Indigo’s revenue from the sale of candy. It’s an encouraging gesture.

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